Product Description

From the tumbling walls of Jericho to a Jewish girl who became the queen of Persia, the historical books of the Bible are intriguing and unquestionably fascinating. In this companion volume to his Handbook on the Pentateuch, veteran Old Testament professor Victor Hamilton demonstrates the significance of the messages contained in these biblical books.

To do so, Hamilton carefully examines content, structure, and theology using rhetorical criticism, inductive Bible study techniques, published scholarship, archaeological data, word studies, and text-critical evidence. Hamilton details the events and implications of each book chapter by chapter, providing useful commentary on overarching themes and the connections and parallels between Old Testament texts. Using theological and literary analysis, this comprehensive introduction examines historical issues, attempting to uncover and discover their thrust and theological messages. For those who wish to do additional research, each chapter is appended with a bibliography.

Victor Hamilton (Ph.D., Brandeis University) is professor of Bible and theology at Asbury College, where he has taught for thirty years. His works include Genesis, 2 volumes, NICOT and Handbook on the Pentateuch.

Publisher's Description

From the tumbling walls of Jericho to a Jewish girl who became the queen of Persia, the historical books of the Bible are intriguing and unquestionably fascinating. In this comprehensive introduction, veteran Old Testament professor Victor Hamilton demonstrates the significance of the messages contained in these biblical books by carefully examining content, structure, and theology. He details the events and implications of each book chapter by chapter, providing useful commentary on overarching themes and the connections and parallels between Old Testament texts. Now in paper.

Author Bio

Victor P. Hamilton (PhD, Brandeis University) was professor of Bible and theology at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky, for more than thirty years. He is the author of a two-volume commentary on Genesis and the Handbook on the Pentateuch.

Endorsements

[An] excellent introduction to the Old Testament historical books. . . . Hamilton makes incisive exegetical and interpretive comments at important junctures. The greatest value to his approach, however, is the synthesis of the whole, which helps the reader appreciate the strategy and literary skill of the composition as literature. . . . The book is an important addition to the literature on the Old Testament historical books. Hamilton has clearly done his homework and has packaged his findings in good prose and a coherent, readable style.
Eugene H. Merrill, Bibliotheca Sacra

Issues of history swirl notoriously around Old Testament studies, highly subjective judgments made in the sober name of critical objectivity. In the midst of the acrimonious swirl, Hamilton cautiously, carefully, and judiciously works his way through the so-called history books of the Old Testament. Hamilton knows all about current scholarly issues but is more interested in the text itself, the way it works, and the way the past is rendered imaginatively. As a consequence, students will find here a clear guide in considering the detail and claim of the text itself, at least for now not needing to engage the scholarly debates that focus outside the text and outside its claims.
Walter Brueggemann, Columbia Theological Seminary

Handbook on the Historical Books manages to steer between the oversimplified approaches found in many evangelical texts and the complex and speculative theories found in many critical studies of Hebrew historiography. The book gives proper attention to interpretive and critical issues, but this does not obfuscate Hamiltons thorough exposition of the ideology, theology, and content of these ancient Israelite histories. This volume is destined to become a standard evangelical introductory text.
Kenton L. Sparks, Eastern University

This highly readable handbook combines clear exposition with an informed synthesis of scholarshiptruly the work of a master teacher! Hamilton presents narrative summaries of the Historical Books that seamlessly integrate historical, compositional, and literary analysis. Students at all levels will find it to be an excellent guide to the biblical text and to the issues that lie at the heart of scholarly discussion.
L. Daniel Hawk, Ashland Theological Seminary

Product Reviews

Be the first to write a review!

Write Review

Ask Christianbook

Have a question about this product? Ask us here.

Back

&times

Ask Christianbook

What would you like to know about this product? Please enter your name, your email and your question regarding the product in the fields below, and we'll answer you in the next 24-48 hours.

If you need immediate assistance regarding this product or any other, please call 1-800-CHRISTIAN to speak directly with a customer service representative.